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Randy Daly; Kenai City Council, two-year term

Kenai is a good city; I want to help it become better. By focusing on small business development and diversifying our economic base, the city of Kenai can become an even better place to live and do business.

How do we do this? Nationally 80 percent of new job creation comes from small business and 80 percent of all employment is with small business. As a community we need to focus on supporting locally owned and operated small companies.

The most significant reason for supporting locally owned businesses is, the profits stay in the local economy longer. Not just the dollars generated but time is invested back into the community on an ongoing basis. Think about your kids' soccer coach; he or she does not work for a retail Internet site located in another state.

As a city council member, I will look for ways to endorse locally owned businesses. I am open to ideas on ways to better support the local economy and look forward to talking with local business owners on how to make Kenai better.

There are hugely talented business people in our community, and the businesses that have stayed the course, in the face of economic hardships, are the ones most invested in the local community.

We need to be open to new industries. One of the first jobs is to conduct an inventory of business present and compare it to other cities of our size. From this, we can compile a list of missing services and businesses. This information can then be shared with organizations actively helping startup companies.

A healthy business base is required to support quality of life issues. Arts, entertainment, libraries and other cultural assets are the result of a good economy. When business is operating on a steady year-round cycle more choices and opportunities become available to its citizens. More jobs are created for residents, and their children can have a bright future in Kenai also.

I look forward to helping make a good city better as a Kenai City Councilman.